On Wings of Love
by dutchtreat
Summary: DL. A hot summer’s day. A trip to the beach. Undeniable feelings. It must be love, but who is willing to first admit that? Set between season 3 and 4. Now completed!
1. Summer in the City

**AN 1: **Credit for the initial idea behind this story goes to **xxAnGeLheArtZ** at TalkCSI. But it is also dedicated to all DL shippers and especially to the lovely people at Talk's DL thread; I've tried to put some of the (many and sometimes crazy) things we've talked about during this summer in my story.

**Spoilers: **Mention of "Sleight out of Hand" and "Snow Day".

**Disclaimer: **Everyone and anything that sounds familiar is not mine.

* * *

**On Wings of Love**

Summer in the City

"_D__espite the heat it'll be alright"_

-o-0-o-

_The last rays of the golden sun slowly turned to orange and a bright pink, softly caressing the omni-coloured wings of the __big beautiful butterfly. While it climbed higher and higher in the evening sky, the people and the world beneath were now too far away to see the reflection on its body, almost translucent in the extinguishing light of that day._

-o-0-o-

That same morning Lindsay Monroe had jumped out of bed long before her alarm had signalled. This time there was nothing that could make her try and get a little more sleep. She hurried into the bathroom to get ready for the day she had been looking forward to all week. While turning on the shower she smiled when she watched through the window and noticed that the weather forecast had been accurate; the sun appeared above the horizon to slowly rise in a cloudless bright blue sky.

After she had dried herself off, she put on the bikini she had bought to wear today. It was a brown coloured one that matched her eyes and somehow even managed to give her white skin a golden shimmer. It had been almost twenty years since she had last been to a beach and when Danny had found out he immediately decided that the first sunny day they had off together, he would take her to Long Island.

Smiling in anticipating of the day ahead she quickly finished dressing. She put on a wide dark brown linen skirt that ended just above her knees and a turquoise satin sleeveless top. After slipping on some brown leather flip-flops decorated with turquoise beads, she finished by packing her towel, a bottle of suntan lotion and the rest of her stuff in a large brown bag. With nothing left to do anymore she took a seat at her kitchen table to eat a light breakfast, read the paper and wait for Danny.

She could hardly wait to spend so much time with him. The last couple of weeks they both had been so busy with work, their friends and their hobbies that they only had seen each other at some lunch breaks, for a quick drink after work or to have dinner and his or her place. But whenever they were spending some 'quality time' together it was always cut short because one of them, or both, had been called away to go to yet another crime scene.

Determined to add another memorable day _'and night?'_ to her memories she quickly gathered her things and rushed down the stairs when he had announced his presence by honking the horn of the fancy car, disturbing the early morning silence and no doubt annoying some of her neighbours. But today Lindsay couldn't care and only smiled at his boyish behaviour.

Her smile grew even wider when she exited her building and saw him leaning nonchalantly against the car. His dark grey slacks and the tight green shirt accentuated his muscular body and the hungry look in his eyes when he noticed her, made her shiver. She hurried over and leant into him when he kissed her good morning before he reluctantly let go to put her bag in the trunk and let her get in the car.

-o-0-o-

They had left the city behind them, talked for a while and where now driving in a comfortable silence. Watching the landscape that surrounded them Danny found it hard to believe that New York City with all its smells and noises was 'just around the corner'. He sighed contently and looked to his right to admire how the warm summer breeze played with Lindsay's curls; twisting and turning them as if the wind was using it to reflect the sunlight in the most spectacular ways imaginable. He silently thanked Flack again for letting them borrow his bright red cabriolet.

They had been driving along the south shore for a few minutes now and as if she felt his gaze on her Lindsay suddenly turned and smiled at him. To Danny she had never looked more beautiful than in that instant. The majestic ocean with all its glorious shades of blue was behind her, she had a rosy glow on her cheeks and her eyes were sparkling even brighter than the sun above. Suddenly overwhelmed by his emotions he nervously grinned at her and still in shock he turned his eyes to the road again.

Lindsay studied his silhouette. He was taking her to a small beach where he had often been as a child. And driving through all those towns that seem to be put there solely to celebrate summer, she could just imagine him as a little boy; staring out of the car window with big blue eyes trying to take in as much as possible to lock the images in his heart forever. But the look she had just seen in his eyes was not that of a boy. For a second she had seen her own hopes and dreams of a possible future, reflected in the glance of the man beside her.

-o-0-o-

Still shocked by the feelings that had suddenly took her off guard, Lindsay tried to slow down her heartbeat by looking at the small village they had just entered. It was sweet, little and looked like it belonged somewhere on the English countryside. There was a certain atmosphere in the air that almost made it seem surreal. Languages from all over the world were echoing through the streets and since there even was a Spa and a little Zoo, Lindsay figured it was quite popular with tourists.

They slowly drove through the crowded streets. The people around them were smiling, looking happy. From an open window a song was drifting through the air. _"__A thousand miles seems pretty far, but they've got planes and trains and cars, I'd walk to you if I had no other way"._ Lindsay smiled when she recognized it. Somehow that song always reminded her of what Danny had done for her when she was back in Montana and how no distance could keep them apart.

"_The world will never ever be the same, and you're to blame." _Lindsay still hummed along smiling, when they turned the corner and she noticed the shop in the hotel lobby. She softly touched his arm to get his attention. "Danny could you pull over, please. I figured that if we're going to spend a day at the beach, we might as well get some fun stuff".

The enthusiasm in her face was contagious and he put the car in a free parking space a little down the road. "Okay Montana, let's see what they've got", he said smiling while they both exited the car.

Danny followed Lindsay who had already started walking back to where the hotel was. When she suddenly stopped right in front of him he bumped in to her, which made her lose her balance. He managed to grab her arm just in time to prevent her from falling face down on the street.

When she was firm on her feet again he winked at her "Whoa, watch out Montana! I don't want to be the reason you end up in the gutter".

She held on to him trying to make sure she had regained her balance. At his remark she mockingly looked up at him, pinched his cheek and gave him a devilish grin "Don't worry about that Messer. If I am ever going to end up down there, I'll make sure you're coming with me".

He started smiling too "That's a promise, Monroe! Now tell me what made you stop in the middle of the street".

She looked away from him; the grin gone from her face. Suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. No way was she going to confess that lately her mind was filled with images of how she imagined the rest of _their_ life. They had only been 'really' together for a couple of weeks now and she decided that it was way too early to admit that her feelings for him had become so strong, so dominating and so undeniable.

So instead of telling him the truth she nodded to the right. "It's that house. Somehow when I was a little girl I've always dreamed of living in one just like that. I love those kinds of houses".

-o-0-o-

Danny, a little confused by her blush and the sparkle in her eyes, looked around to see what she was talking about. On the other side of the fence he saw the most adorable white cottage he'd ever seen. Its bright red shutters were glistening in the sun and the thatched roof gave it a very warm appearance. There was a sloping lawn in front of it that was bordered with flowerbeds in every colour of the rainbow.

He then noticed the big wooden swing on the lawn and he felt a lump in his throat. The thought of children running around on that lawn, laughing, playing on that swing or running around with a dog suddenly popped up in his head. He felt like he could almost see what they looked like; a boy, a girl and a big golden retriever, their hair shining in the sun while the ocean wind made the grass wave.

He felt Lindsay pull on his sleeve and when he blinked the image was gone. Knowing that she still wanted to hear his opinion, he looked at her. "It really is a beautiful house Montana", was all he managed to get out. He knew she had expected more and the confused look on her face confirmed that. But how could he explain to her something he didn't understand himself. So for now he just gave her an assuring smile, and still lost in thought he laid an arm around her shoulders to lead the way to the hotel.

He wasn't quite sure what had just happened, but he did know that the vision had given him a feeling of serenity; as if the sight of that house had truly opened his eyes. He now just knew for a fact that being with the woman beside him was the reason he had such a vivid imagination of life's possibilities that lay ahead. He shook is head and smiled in disbelief of his reflections.

Just before they entered the shop he looked down at the woman beside him again, apparently lost in thought too. He bent down a little and gave her a kiss on her forehead. She looked up at him and gave him the warm smile he so adored; and suddenly the idea that the summer breeze, blowing down the street, sounded a little like children's laughter, didn't seem that strange at all.

* * *

-o-0-o-

**AN 2:** Title and subtitle are from "Summer in the City" by "The Lovin' Spoonful" and the song Lindsay recognizes is "Hey there Delilah" by "The Plain White T's".

**AN 3: **Reviews are really appreciated. Txs!


	2. Underneath the Waves

Underneath the Waves

"_I'm learning, I'm learning you now"_

-o-0-o-

_It was following them now; keeping a close eye on them. There was something magical between these two people; something that they seemed to not even be completely aware of. It kept its wings folded, for now not wanting to attract too much attention to the beautiful colours inside. Perhaps here was its change to finally take off into the clear blue sky, to leave the world behind._

-o-0-o-

When Lindsay had decided they had bought everything that was 'needed' for a nice day at the beach, they returned to the car to continue their trip. Not exactly knowing why, but both still feeling a little uneasy, they drove off to leave the town. When they reached the junction at the end of the street, Danny tried to lift the awkward mood a bit by pointing at the pub in the next street.

"Hey Montana, it looks like we have to check out that place tonight. They seem to be expecting us."

When she saw the devilish grin on his face she quickly turned to see why he was having such a laugh. After noticing the large sign on the sidewalk that said 'Pool Table Inside' she instantly felt a blush rise on her cheeks.

"Oh, Danny Messer, you are never going to let me forget my actions of that night, are you?" She blushed even more severe now and tried hard to avoid looking in his eyes.

He chuckled when he saw her embarrassment. He slowed down the car a little, and with the hand that still had the scars of what happened the day after their first night together, he lifted her chin to look at her.

"Lindsay, don't ever feel ashamed about that night. I was there too and I can say without a doubt that I will never ever want to forget it. The memories of your touches and your smile were the only things that kept me sane during that hostage situation."

Her heart jumped at his confession. She slowly put a hand on his, softly caressing the still bright purple and red scars. Her eyes were suddenly filled with tears and she looked down before she spoke again.

"You never told me that, Danny. I'm glad that in a way I helped you that day, even though I was not there in person. And I want you to understand that I'm not ashamed about _our_ night, but it's just that it was something I never did before. I'm usually not that aggressive. I still don't know exactly what came over me, but I just needed to have you."

Lindsay sighed and realized that she was jabbering away, and shyly looked up to meet his stare, still a little unsure what his reaction would be like.

He smiled at her honesty, instantly making all of her feelings of insecurity melt away, and told her "I'm glad that we've got that cleared" and with a wink he continued "and may I just add that it sure was nice to be _needed_."

When he saw her smile return, he was relieved and nodded to the side "Now, no more tears and keep on that gorgeous smile, because we're here!"

-o-0-o-

While he parked the car, Lindsay eagerly looked down on the beach that was almost blazing in the sunlight. Admiring the frothy crests slowly rolling on to the hot sand before returning to the vast ocean she thought about the sincere conversation they had a few minutes ago; suddenly she felt lighter than she had in a long time and the anticipation to run through the cool waves made her jump out of the car when it came to a stop.

He had been right. This place was just perfect. On top of a nearby cliff there was a lighthouse and some seals were lying at the rocks at the bottom, lazily enjoying the warmth of the sun. Because the nearest town was still quite a few miles away and since there were no restaurants nearby this place was not that popular with tourists. So despite the fact that it was a hot summer's day and a weekend, there were only a few people on the beach.

She quickly turned to help Danny unpack the car and when they were both loaded with stuff they carefully made their way down the path to look for a nice place to spend the rest of the day.

-o-0-o-

They'd found a nice spot close to the surf and a little away from the other people on the beach. Lindsay had quickly begun unpacking their bags while Danny started to set up the colourful striped privacy windscreen they had bought in the hotel's shop. Both of them worked hastily to get ready as soon as possible to really start enjoying their time together.

After Lindsay had taken off her clothes and put them in her bag, she suddenly realized that Danny had been really quiet for a while now. Just when she was about to see what he was doing she heard a loud "UMPF!" that made her jump and look around in surprise.

She almost fell over laughing when she saw the very festive piece of squirming collared beef he had managed to turn himself into. Somehow the entire windscreen had ended up wrapped around his body, the poles sticking out to all sides and the guy-ropes -really living up to their name- kept everything firmly in place.

"D- Danny how on earth did you manage to do that" she finally managed to get out in between several bursts of laughter.

"Well Montana, I don't know" he said grinding his teeth "there seemed to be much more sticks and rope than I anticipated and then you started to parade around in that very tiny bikini and I got kinda distracted."

"I can see that" she giggled at the sight of his reddening cheeks "and sticks and rope" she continued laughing; "I assume you never went camping."

"No I haven't and can you please stop laughing now and be the good I-know-all-about-camping girl-scout and help me get out of this mess? I'm glad I already stripped down to my swim trunks before I started on this mess, but it is still getting pretty hot in here."

While wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead she moved closer. "Well I don't know Danny" she said, suddenly feeling very naughty again. "I kinda like having you all hot and helpless and tied up." And with that she put a passionate kiss on his lips; smiling when she immediately felt him respond.

"Montana, please stop that" Danny groaned when he managed to catch his breath again "you're killing me."

"Now we couldn't have that, now, could we?" she joked. But she did feel a little sorry for him - and was quite curious how he'd look in his swim trunks - , so to his relief she then finally began to slowly un-wrap him; admiring and placing almost chaste kisses on every piece of skin that she revealed.

When she had untied enough knots to admire his very manly body in the tight dark blue Speedo, he quickly took advantage of the fact that she was clearly distracted, and hadn't noticed he had full control over his limps again.

With a loud shriek she suddenly found herself thrown over his shoulder, his hand firmly on her butt to keep her in place.

"Danny Messer what are you doing!? Put me down immediately!" she screamed while he quickly tossed his glasses on his towel and started running towards the ocean.

"I don't think so, Miss Monroe! There are kids around here and as you were clearly witnessing I really need to cool off, and since you're the one that caused my need to take a cold bath, I think it's only fair that I take you with me."

And before she could utter another word he dove face forward and unceremoniously dumped her in the waves backwards.

* * *

-o-0-o-

**AN 1: **Chapter title and subtitle are from "Underneath the waves" by "Hale".

**AN 2: **This chapter was a little short, but I promise the next one will be longer.

**AN 3: **Reviews are appreciated as always. Txs!


	3. Girls on the Beach

Girls on the Beach

"_And one waits there for you, the sun in her hair, the warmth of the air"_

-o-0-o-

_It had arrived at the beach with them and was now longingly watching the perfect azure sky. It wouldn't be much longer before it would finally be able to spread its wings and know what it was like to swirl through the air; free from all boundaries._

-o-0-o-

Danny watched in amusement as Lindsay started to splash around, desperately trying to get up from the ocean floor. When she had finally surfaced and managed to stand stable on her feet again she spat out some salt water and wiped her dripping hair out of her eyes to look at him accusingly.

"Why are you just standing there? Why didn't you help me? I must have swallowed the entire ocean and you didn't even bother to lend me a hand" she scowled at him.

He just laughed at her indignation "I think I kinda liked seeing you helpless too, and fortunately for you there is still plenty of ocean left to hide the fact that your bikini was not really a match for your sprawling."

When she saw him cast a lust filled gaze downwards she quickly tugged on the bikini top to put it back in place blushing feverishly. She immediately started scanning their surroundings to check if no one else had witnessed her little involuntary strip show.

After she realised that Danny was the only one close enough to have seen what had happened she sighed with relief and when she met his twinkling blue eyes she couldn't help but laugh along with him.

She playfully splashed some water in his face "I hope you enjoyed the 'entertainment' Messer. I guess we're even now."

He wiped the water off of his face and ran a hand through his hair before he started wading back towards the beach. "Yeah Montana, we're even alright! Now hurry up, this water is slightly colder than I imagined and we still got a screen to put up, and I am really starting to get hungry."

"You're always hungry" she smiled while following him out of the ocean feasting her eyes on the sight of the gorgeous man walking in front of her, making her feel rather 'hungry' too.

-o-0-o-

After they had managed to disentangle the mess he had made of the windscreen, this time with Lindsay's instructions - of course - , Danny had been able to set up it up in just a few minutes. He made sure it stood really steady by driving the tent-pegs deep into the sand with the heel of his shoe. He walked around it, proud of his new-found 'camping' techniques, and felt like he had now really deserved some early lunch.

Lindsay smiled at the haughty look on his face and began to unpack the cool box. Her own stomach started to rumble too when she smelled the delicious food. She had really been surprised when she had found out a while back that Danny was an excellent cook. Since he had started as a CSI, cooking had helped him relax and take his mind off of the horrible crimes he witnessed every day. And although for today he had just made some simple _ciabattine _she knew that his skills had really improved over the years.

When their lunch was over they both felt a little sleepy. The sun and the bottle of Chianti that Danny had brought along were really affecting them. And Danny, who had been working a late shift the day before, was trying hard not to yawn. So they quickly – not wanting to cause any need for another cold bath - rubbed some suntan lotion on each other's backs and lied down on their big beach towels to relax for a while.

-o-0-o-

Lindsay had not actually slept. She had been listening to the sound of the ocean, the faint sounds of other people on the beach and the cries of the sea-gulls and the seals. The sun on her skin felt nice and warm and she was suddenly full of energy. She opened her eyes to look at the man beside her. He had clearly drifted off to sleep and the soft smile on his lips gave him an almost angelic look.

He looked so relaxed that she didn't want to disturb him just yet. She softly kissed his salty tasting shoulder blade and decided to take some of the stuff they bought earlier that day and play a little in the surf. She felt like a little girl again when she opened the shopping bag to take out the colourful beach bucket set. Danny had made fun of her when she had decided to buy it, but she had pointed out that a lot of adults were making sand sculptures too. Those artists probably used some more professional tools, but the colours of her set made her happy.

She had used the orange rake to create a smooth surface and with the help of the purple shovel and the yellow mold she had made the basis for her 'work of art'. She walked into the ocean with her red watering can several times to make her 'material' more suitable to work with and when she was content with the amount of wet sand she had gathered, she started to try and turn the ugly hump into a beautiful castle.

When she was just beginning to dig a large moat to go around the castle, she was surprised by a shadow that fell over her. When she looked up there was a girl standing next to her. Bright green eyes smiled from in between a freckled nose and the brightest red hair Lindsay had ever seen. She seemed to be about 8 or 9 years old and was staring at the castle with a critical look.

"You should be adding towers and some bridges" the girl suddenly said, while slowly walking around Lindsay's creation. "And the towers should have crenels too."

Lindsay could only smile at those frank remarks. "Well you know what, I think I can really use some help. I thought making a sandcastle was not that hard, but it turns out that it's not so easy after all." She motioned for the girl to sit down next to her and held out her hand. "My name is Lindsay, by the way, what's yours? "

The girl plopped down in the sand beside Lindsay, looking proud that she had been asked for her help, and shook her hand. "Wow, you have a pretty name! I'm Eileen, but I don't like it. See, my mum and dad are from Ireland and they wanted to give me and my brother real Irish names." At the mention of her parents she had pointed to a place on the beach where Lindsay spotted another redheaded female that waved to her. A dark-haired man and boy were playing soccer next to her.

Lindsay waved back at the woman to indicate that everything was okay and then turned to the girl again. "Well, Eileen I think you have a very pretty name. I don't have any children yet, but if I ever have a baby girl, maybe I will call her Eileen too. It really isn't as bad as you think." When she had mentioned having children Lindsay had involuntary looked in Danny's direction.

The attentive girl had followed her gaze "Who is that, is he your husband?" she asked curiously.

Lindsay shook her head "No, he's not. That's Danny; he's my boyfriend and my colleague."

"Oh, that's so cool!" Eileen exclaimed while looking at Lindsay excitedly "that means you guys can be together like all of the time!" She was now practically jumping up and down "he looks so cute, you must be so happy to see him so often! It's almost like you're married already!"

"Well unfortunately we're not always working together and sometimes our shifts are so different that we don't see each other for days", Lindsay sighed, while smiling at Eileen. "And we're just seriously dating for a few weeks now, so marriage is something we really do not talk about at all." When she saw the disappointed look at the hopeless romantic young girl's face she quickly turned back to the sandcastle "Come on, enough about me, you have to show me how to make some nice crenels."

-o-0-o-

Danny woke up when he heard Lindsay talking. He thought she had mentioned his name and opened his eyes to see who was with her. He grinned when he saw her. She sat cross legged on the beach, wet sand sticking to her legs and arms, surrounded by the multi coloured beach set, and she was smiling at a girl with a mess of red hair that was talking to her excitedly. She looked adorable.

He decided to not yet let them know he was awake, and closed his eyes a little again; continuing to secretly watch them through his eye lashes. The wind had changed direction a little and every now and then he could catch parts of their conversation. Lindsay's enthusiasm when she discovered that the girl was a big sports' fan too was touching. And for a while they were discussing their favourite football and hockey players.

While he kept watching them, they're conversation once again became a murmur. His senses could only focus on Lindsay. The way her eyes sparkled, her body moved, her hair waved. They way she was just so alive. For what seemed like an eternity he was just hypnotized by her. In that 'eternity' the heap of sand had slowly turned into a big and rather beautiful sand castle and Danny came out of his trance when the girls started to discuss what it looked like.

Apparently they couldn't decide between Sleeping Beauty's castle and Hogwarts. The mention of the school of magic was what had drawn Danny's attention back to the conversation. With a smile he remembered the events of a few weeks ago.

-

- - - - - - - It had been a busy week for the two of them, and when Lindsay finally had a day off she had decided to stay home and relax. They had agreed that after his shift Danny would come by and bring dinner. When he had finally arrived at her place he had waited a while for her to open the door, and when she had finally done so he knew that trying to hide her tear-stained face was what had delayed her.

She had given him a watery smile to indicate that nothing serious was wrong, but he still had to know why she had been crying. "Montana what's wrong? Did someone die?" he had asked while following her inside. And he was shocked when she had nodded and started to sum up a list of names, including some pretty weird ones.

When he had looked at her quite confused she had motioned to her coffee table. And when he had seen the book that was laying there it had suddenly clicked. "I'm sorry Danny, I've been reading the last Harry Potter all day and it was so beautiful, but so sad at the same time. I have loved reading those books and losing myself in that magical world, and now it's over and there will not be a new one coming" she had sighed and sniffed, confirming his guess.- - - - - - -

-

Somehow that memory, in an odd way, made him feel happy. He loved that about her. How one moment she could be all grown up and talk about facts and science and the next she could be like a little girl and totally lose herself in the fantasy world of books. He loved how she'd dress in jeans and a t-shirt while laughing and cheering at a football game and the next day she would put on an amazing dress and cry at some tragic opera. He loved how she squeezed his hand when she was watching a movie with him. He loved how she smiled at children – like at the girl that was now helping her- and how she could glare at suspects. He loved how she just showed all her emotions. He loved…

_He loved her!_

His eyes shot open - and he found her looking directly at him.

* * *

-o-0-o-

**AN 1: **Chapter title and subtitle are from "Girls on the Beach" by "The Beach Boys"

**AN 2: **The wonderful world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling

**AN 3: **Txs to all those who are reading, reviewing and/or adding this story to their alerts/favorites. I really appreciate it so keep them coming! Txs!


	4. Boys of Summer

**AN 1:** Txs so much for reading and especially for all the great reviews. I'm so glad that so many people seem to like this story!

* * *

Boys of Summer

" _I thought I knew what love was; what did I know?"_

-o-0-o-

_Its moment had finally come. The winds were rushing beneath its wings. The endless sky was calling and the feeling of complete freedom was beginning to fill its senses. But __an unwanted force was holding it back; preventing the wings from going higher and higher. There was still something that prevented it from leaving the beach and the world truly behind._

-o-0-o-

Lindsay smiled when she suddenly saw his eyes open. To her it was almost like he had felt her watching; little did she know that he had been awake for some time now, and that at that very moment he was trying very hard to control his breathing and come to terms with what had suddenly dawned on him. _He, Danny Messer loved her, Lindsay Monroe._ _BOOM!_

Danny just lay there; not able to look away from her eyes while his mind was racing. _When did this happen, why did this happen, how did this happen?_ But he just knew that only a few seconds ago he had already answered all those questions. That little country girl had somehow managed to steal bits and pieces of his heart and she was now in complete control of it. And although he was certain it was in safe hands, still, the idea scared him to death. _How was he going to tell her? Did she feel it too?_

Lindsay got a bit worried when Danny just kept on looking at her quite bewildered, without saying anything. She started to think that perhaps he had been in the sun too long; she didn't want him to become a lobster with a sunstroke. "Danny, are you alright?" she softly asked. A little relieved when he blinked, acknowledging that he had at least heard her.

"Yeah, yeah, Montana, don't worry" he said while slowly sitting up. "I just was feeling a little confused". _A little, huh; wow Messer, understatement of the year there!_ To his utter discomfort she seemed to notice his inner debate.

"Are you quite sure you're okay?" she asked again. "You looked almost frightened and you keep making those strange faces". She couldn't help but look curious at him.

Danny shrugged and desperately tried to think of something to keep her from further questioning him. "Yeah Montana, I'm really feeling great. I guess I must have been dreaming or something." He gave her a smile, which he hoped assured her. And to distract her completely he nodded and winked at Eileen. "Now tell me who your lovely friend here is."

Lindsay inwardly sighed when she heard the girl next to her giggle and saw her face turn an even deeper shade of red than her hair. _Oh that damned Messer charm! No matter what age, he can wrap every woman around his finger. _Not wanting him to know what terrible things she was thinking, she quickly answered him "this is Eileen; and while you were impersonating 'Sleeping Beauty', she and I were building a copy of her castle.

Eileen was now laughing out loud at the image of Danny as 'Sleeping Beauty', but when she saw the – no doubt fake – hurt look on Danny's face, she threw Lindsay an apologetic look and quickly said to Danny "I really thought it looked more like Hogwarts anyway". When he gave her a thankful smile the red colour immediately returned to her cheeks. And after he had walked over to them and walked around the castle, finally declaring that it did look a lot like 'Hogwarts', Lindsay knew for sure that the 'Messer charm' had made another 'victim'.

-o-0-o-

When the three of them were discussing what else could be added to the castle they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of tiny feet running over the sand. "Eileen, Eileen, what are you doing there? When are you coming to play with me?" a young boy's voice came from behind the windscreen, soon followed by the boy himself.

Danny and Lindsay looked up to see a 4 or 5 year old black-haired, blue-eyed boy appear. Lindsay recognized him as Eileen's younger brother the instant the girl asked him "Ronan, what are you doing here? I thought you were playing soccer with dad?" She sounded a little annoyed that the boy was disturbing her time with her two newfound 'friends'.

"I was, but daddy was getting tired and I wanted to play with you", the boy explained. "What are you building, who are those people, can I join you, do you wanna play soccer with me?" he rattled, like kids his age sometimes tend to do; not giving his sister enough time to answer any of his questions.

"Ronan slow down" Eileen said when he finally stopped to breathe. She motioned to the people next to her "this are Lindsay and Danny, they are girlfriend and boyfriend" she beamed, proud of her knowledge, and then she pointed at the sand castle "and Lindsay and I have been building this and we still have to finish it, so I cannot come and play with you, and you know I don't like soccer".

Lindsay felt sorry for the boy when she saw the sad look on his face. "Hey" she said to get his attention. "You're Ronan, right?" The boy looked at her and nodded. "Well Ronan" Lindsay continued "would you perhaps like to help your sister and me with this sand castle?"

"No, I think sand castles are boring girl stuff" the boy sighed with all the innocent honesty kids have "I'd like to do something fun!"

Danny chuckled at the boy's remark and at the look on the female faces next to him. _He liked this kid! _So"Well Ronan, what do you say; shall we leave these two women to finish up the castle then, and you and I can go play with the kite Lindsay and I bought" he said looking at the kid expectedly.

Ronan's eyes immediately began to sparkle. "Oh yes! A kite! That's so cool! Where is it?" he cried out while following Danny who had started to walk over to where their bags were.

Danny took the kite out of its packaging and quickly put the framework in place and attached the two lines. He looked up at Lindsay to cast a look that said 'see I can do stuff like this', and he felt his heart jump when she smiled at him with admiration. He picked up the kite and walked back over to her. When he had reached her he bent down a little and wiped some grains of sand from her nose. He looked in her beautiful eyes and bent down even more to give her a soft, but loving kiss.

"Aaaaw", said Eileen synchronous with her brother's "Eeeew".

At those cries Lindsay felt Danny's smile against her own smiling lips and she gave him a nudge before she whispered "you better get going before that little guy starts to think you're boring too." She gave him a quick kiss on his nose and watched him get up and walk away with Ronan skipping after him.

-o-0-o-

Danny found a quiet strip on the beach where he thought it would be okay to run back and forth with the kite without him or Ronan troubling other people. There was not much wind and to try and get the kite up would be a little hard, but he believed it to be a challenge to try and achieve it anyway. He waited for the boy who had quickly run over to his parents to tell them – all excited – what he was going to do and to make sure they would be watching.

When Ronan was back with Danny, the latter started to explain to the boy the secrets of how to perfectly fly kites. He wetted one finger and when he saw the boy's odd look he explained "look, first we need to know which direction the wind is blowing from, so you wet a finger and hold it up in the air". He smiled when Ronan copied his movements. "Right, now tell me where you feel the wind cool your finger".

The boy bit his lip while concentrating on his finger. Finally he raised his other hand to point at a side of his wet finger and said "I think it's this side". Danny ran a hand through the boy's hair. "Wow, you're pretty good at that! That's the correct side and it means that the wind is coming from behind us. Now, what I want you to do is carefully pick up the kite and walk in the wind's direction, while I'll stay here with my back against the wind".

When Ronan slowly started walking, Danny let the lines simultaneously roll off of the handles. When there was a couple of yards between the two of them Danny instructed the boy again "Okay Ronan, now we both start running against the wind and when you feel that the kite is starting to catch the wind you push it up in the air and let go."

After a quite a lot of unsuccessful attempts, suddenly a strong breeze came over the beach and to their relief the kite flew up in the air, the plastic flapping and the lines tightening. Ronan clapped his hands and jumped up and down while Danny winded off more and more of the lines. In no time the kite was high up in the sky where there was more wind, and Danny squatted down to teach Ronan how to steer.

-o-0-o-

Lindsay and Eileen had been busy embellishing their sand castle and giggling about the boys' attempt to get the kite up. Every time they saw the colourful plastic hit the sand again and they could hear the cries of frustration, the girls would look at each other, rolling their eyes, both thinking _we would've gotten it up there already!_

However, when they finally managed, Lindsay couldn't help but admirer their determination. She was watching how now Danny and Ronan were both holding the handles while Danny instructed the boy. He looked so sweet, while playing with the kid. She saw him tug the left handle and immediately the kite made a loop to the left. When Ronan got the hang of it, Danny handed over the handles and stood up.

Soon the kite was making all kinds of tricky movements and Ronan was watching it intently, while Danny was keeping a close eye on both the kite and the boy and Lindsay only had eye for Danny. That was probably why all three of them didn't notice that the boys had strayed from their earlier position. Eileen had been watching too, but because she was not focussing on one thing, she saw what was about to happen and startled Lindsay when she suddenly cried "Oh no, look out!"

But the warning came too late. Both Danny and Ronan had been walking backwards and had tripped over the legs of a couple of twenty-something year old girls who were sunbathing. Suddenly cries filled the air and arms and legs were getting entangled, making the group of people look like a game of Twister gone wrong. Lindsay and Eileen quickly jumped up to run over to them.

When they approached the girls' – there were three of them - spot, Lindsay noticed that Ronan was already on his feet again, triumphantly showing that he still was holding the kite handles. No one was hurt and she saw how the girls' looks had changed from startled to very interested when they realized what had landed on them. The girls' radio was playing and Lindsay heard part of one of her favourite songs _"You're the line in the sand, when I go too far"._

_This is the 'line in the sand' alright_; she thought when she saw the seductive looks the girls were casting at Danny. She saw the slightly embarrassed look on his face and reached out her hand to help him up. When he was standing again, he faced the cheeky girls and mumbled "sorry ladies" before turning back to look at Lindsay again.

The instant he noticed the annoyed expression on her face, because those three girls were now checking him out completely, his eyes started to twinkle and he winked at her "thanks for 'saving' me Montana" and kissed her – making clear to the girls that he was not interested in them - before turning to Ronan. He squatted down in front of the boy, suddenly concerned, and looked him up and down. "Hey buddy, are you alright? You sure you're not hurt anywhere?"

When she saw his concern for the boy, Lindsay's heart tightened in her chest and something clicked. She loved how he was so worried; how he always seemed to care so much for others and their well-being. She loved how he was so patient with the people he cared about and how he could be equally impatient when he didn't give a shit. She loved his passion; how every emotion was always so clearly visible in his eyes. When he cared he cared with all of his heart. She loved how he looked like the _totally hot_ flirting NY tough guy – that he was -, but on the inside he hid a totally different person that he only showed to a few people. And she loved that she was one of them. She loved…

_She loved him!_

The beach and the people around her seemed to disappear when the realisation suddenly full-force hit her, and the last lines of the song on the radio resounded in her ears _"You're every line, you're every word, you're everything. You're every song, and I sing along, 'cause you're my everything."_

* * *

-o-0-o-

**AN 2: **Chapter title and subtitle are from "Boys of Summer" by "Don Henley" (I love that song!)

**AN 3:** The song on the radio is "Everything" by "Michael Bublé" (one of the most perfect D/L songs ever!)

**AN 4: **Reviews are still really appreciated. Txs!


	5. Circle in the Sand

**AN 1: **Okay, this is the final chapter. It's a little longer than the rest, but I hope you guys like it. Txs again to every one for you support AND the awesome reviews!

* * *

Circle in the Sand

"_When you look for me, can you see forever? I begin where you end; we belong together__"_

-o-0-o-

"Earth to Lindsay Monroe!" Danny waved his hand in front of her eyes, getting no reaction whatsoever. "Hello, anyone still in there" he tried again, this time snapping his fingers. The sudden sound seemed to finally get through to her.

Lindsay shook her head, desperately trying to focus again. When she managed, she wished she hadn't. Six people were looking at her curiously; wondering what on earth had happened to her. _Think Monroe; think_ she told herself while trying hard to avoid all the searching looks. But of course she should have known that there was one pair of piercing blue eyes that she could not look away from.

Danny put his hands on her shoulders and looked intensely at her. "Are you feeling alright Montana? You looked a bit dazed just now" he asked with concern, again, clearly audible in his voice.

_Alright, I'm better than alright__! But when I blurt out why that is __now__, I'll probably scare the shit out of him_ Lindsay thought; so instead she softly answered "Yes, I'm fine. I guess when I saw you guys fall I just got up a bit too quick, and I just realized we have not been drinking enough this afternoon. It's almost 04:00 PM and the last time we drank something was at lunch." _Brilliant Linds!_

Danny nodded in agreement. He slowly let his hands slide down her arms and took her right hand in his left. "You're right Montana, let's get back and have something to drink." He turned with her and said to Ronan "why don't you and your sister play with the kite some more while Lindsay and I go relax a bit."

Both Ronan and Eileen had been a little quiet because of Lindsay's odd behaviour, but at Danny's suggestion they both started to grin from ear to ear "Oh, thanks so much Danny, we'll be really careful with it! Eileen, come on! I'll teach you how to steer" Ronan said while handing the handles to his sister, who was watching the kite with big eyes.

"Okay, we'll see you guys later then" Lindsay said. She smiled at the look on Ronan's face - he was so proud that he could finally 'teach' his big sister something - and started to follow Danny, who was still firmly holding her hand. She ignored the three girls who where whispering – no doubt about her – in the background. _If he doesn't care about them, why should I let them bother me?_

-o-0-o-

"You're having fun, Montana?" Danny asked her, after he had handed her a soda from the cool box, and sat down beside her.

Lindsay took a big, refreshing swig from her drink and looked at him "Yeah, I really am. I love to be away from the city for a while and to be alone with you - Well 'alone'", she smiled "we have not really been alone I guess" she said while pointing to the two kids with the kite.

Danny looked to where they were playing. "No I guess we haven't, but at least we got to have fun with some new people. And I love to play with kids, especially here; somehow kids on a beach always seem even more care free than they usually do."

Lindsay smiled. "Yeah, they really have fun, don't they?" she said, while looking at the kids too. _Come on Monroe, this is the best opportunity ever to ask him!_ "Uhm, Danny" she began, suddenly fascinated with the circles her toes were drawing in the sand "do you ever, well you know, think about kids?" _Wow, did I really just ask that?_

He saw the red blush spread across her face and realized that this was really important to her, and that it had taken a lot of her courage to even ask him that. "Well, I guess I never really thought about it. I guess I always assumed, somehow, that I would have my own kids some day. It just feels, well, natural I suppose" he answered a bit hesitant, not sure whether he had been clear enough or not.

She lifted her reddened cheeks a bit to look at him. When she saw how sincere he was and that he was not about to tease her about her question, she felt a weight lift from her chest He must have known that there was a deeper meaning behind her question and yet he just answered; and he gave the perfect answer! – that was exactly how she had always felt about it._ God, he's just perfect!_

Again her overwhelming feelings for him left her almost unable to speak. But he was clearly waiting for a response to his answer, so she tapped her finger against her chin; pretending to think about it, while trying hard to regain control over her tongue. When she finally trusted her voice again she replied "Yeah, I think I know what you mean, somehow I always figured I would have kids too, one day. I never even imagined my life without kids, and I think I will really like being a mum some day."

Danny smiled at her sudden honesty and the dreamy look on her face. "You know Montana, I've seen you with kids a lot since you moved to New York and I think you will be a great mum!" _And wife,_ he subconsciously added _Wow Messer slow down, you don't want to scare her back to Montana, now, do ya?_

Before Lindsay had the chance to react, Danny jumped up; trying hard to mask his feelings, and reached out his hand to pull her up. She thoughtlessly grabbed his hand, and still beaming because of his statement, she soon stood before him wondering what he had in mind.

Danny saw her questioning look and said "I thought we should take an actual swim in the ocean, before it perhaps gets too cold. And we can take that beach tennis set we bought with us; I'd love to see if you can beat me at tennis too." He just knew she would take the challenge and smiled when she confirmed this by walking towards the water saying "get ready to lose, Messer" over her shoulder.

-o-0-o-

They stayed in the ocean a long time; both were pretty competitive and neither one of them wanted the other to win the game. So they kept diving in the waves, trying to score one impossible point after another. And both scored a lot of points, because they were getting pretty distracted at times by the way the water and the sunlight made the other's body look.

After quite a while of simple enjoying each others company, they were interrupted by two voices calling their names from the surf; Eileen and Ronan where waving at them and motioning that they should come over. Danny grinned at her and smashed the ball down on the waves beside her one last time "well Montana, I guess that means that I win" and started to swim towards the shore.

Lindsay picked up the ball and followed close behind. "Don't even think about it Messer! We'll just find out what they want and then I get a re-match" she called after him and stood up when the ocean became too shallow to keep swimming.

"Danny, Lindsay look!" Ronan was calling to them when they both walked over to the siblings "your kite is still up in the air and our dad has tied it to a pole of your windscreen, because we have to leave now", and with that his happy mood dimmed a little.

Lindsay looked at the horizon and was quite surprised to see that it was already getting pretty late; the sun was almost setting and the two kids and Danny and she were the only four people left on the beach. They must have been in the ocean longer than she thought. The temperature was still high though, and she could feel the salt water dry on her skin.

"Yeah and Lindsay, see the tide is already rippling against our sandcastle, so dad made a picture of it for me" Eileen told Lindsay "and you can give me your e-mail address so we can send it to you if you like" she added enthusiast.

"Oh that would be great Eileen!" Lindsay replied before picking up her bag to look for a piece of paper and a pen. She quickly scribbled down her name and e-mail address and handed the paper to the girl. "Here you go Eileen, and it would be great to get that picture and to hear from you again."

"I'd love that too, but now we have to run" Eileen grabbed her brother's hand "come on Ronan, mum and dad are waiting" and in one breath she added "bye Lindsay, bye Danny" and then they ran towards the path that led them up the dune where their parents were standing next to their car.

-o-0-o-

Danny had put his arm around Lindsay's shoulder and they watched the kids leave together. "Bye Ronan, bye Eileen" Danny said; "and have a save trip home" Lindsay added, before she leant back against Danny to wave goodbye to the children one last time, before they entered the waiting car.

When the car had vanished from sight, Lindsay bumped her shoulder against his "ready to continue our game, cowboy?" she asked while throwing the ball up in the air.

Danny caught it easily and wiggled his eyebrows at her "well Montana, since we are now the only two people on the beach, I thought we perhaps could play another 'game'." And with that he threw the ball aside and started to walk towards her.

She just screamed and giggled - _whenever have I started to giggle so much? - _ and ran away from his hands. "You're just so bad Danny Messer" she said, while making another turn.

But none of her actions were really convincing, and Danny closed in on her. Before he could take another step, though, his left foot hit one of the tent-pegs - the constant movements of the kite had caused some of them to rise above the surface of the sand. He tried to keep his balance, but soon felt himself fall backwards. Lindsay cried "watch out!" and grabbed his arm, but that only caused her to fall with him.

Danny's back hit a pretty weird surface and before his mind could determine what it was, Lindsay landed on top of him, forcing the air out of his lungs.

"Oh Danny!" Lindsay screamed "you stupid goof, now look what you've done, my beautiful sand castle in ruins!" But the guilty look on his face when it dawned on him where he had landed and their very close proximity made it impossible for Lindsay to stay mad at him. And when she watched him lying underneath her in the sand - still panting -, every inch of her body touching his with those amazing eyes boring into hers, the feeling of love was, again, overwhelming. _I love him so much, I must be creating my own energy field._

"Montana look!" he suddenly said – his lunges now full of oxygen again – staring and pointing at something over her shoulder, "the lines of the kite are broken! But it's not coming down; it's flying even higher now! How is that possible?"

Lindsay followed his gaze and saw the plastic image of a butterfly high above them in the sky. He was right; it really looked as if it was flying on its own account. _But how could that be possible?_

"Must be the power of my love" Lindsay mused; completely shocked when his eyes returned to hers and she saw the sudden odd expression on his face. _Oh boy! Please tell me I didn't say that out loud!_

"What did you say, Montana?" he asked, suddenly serious. _Did she really just say…_

Lindsay couldn't take her eyes away from his. And to add to her embarrassment, without even really knowing why, she suddenly felt tears well up in her eyes. She blinked hard to hide them only to make one escape her eye and slowly slide down her cheek.

His eyes followed the path of that tear until he reached out a hand and softly wiped it of her face with his thumb. He watched the crystal drop on his finger and then looked up into her tearful eyes again. "Lindsay, what's wrong baby? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

She nodded, swallowing hard, she knew she had to tell him; for once she had to put her stupid pride aside and actually share her feelings with another person, someone she knew she could trust, and he had proven over and over again that he definitely was that person. So she swallowed again and with a little shaky voice she said "no Danny, there's nothing wrong, it's actually a great thing – or at least I think so -, but at the same time it scares me to death. I-"

"Montana, wait! All that talking about children and being a mum before; you're not saying, I mean we have been careful, right? But-"

Because of the flabbergasted - _and could it be a little excited -_ look on his face, Lindsay smiled through her tears and put a soft finger on his lips to quiet him "you didn't give me time to say this before, Danny, but although I do think you will be a great dad someday, that is not what I wanted to tell you." She locked her eyes with his "What I do want to tell you, is that I love you, Danny Messer."

When she felt he was about to react, she interrupted him once more "no, please let me finish, I have to say this. I have already let you down, tried to shut you out and denied my own feelings so many times, that this time I owe it to you to be completely honest."

Something in his posture had made the tears vanish and with much more courage she continued "I love you! I don't know how that has happened or when it has happened, but I do. You are on my mind 24/7 and right now I cannot imagine my life without you in it. You make me laugh, you make me cry, you make me feel like I'm the centre of the universe and most important, you make me feel complete; like I finally found the piece of me that had been missing all of my life."

She felt a little light-headed when she had at last opened up to him, and at first didn't even notice that he had been quiet for a quite a while. She took her finger from his mouth and said "Okay, now you may say something."

He looked at her with big eyes until he finally said "Wow!" and then to her total confusion he started to laugh. He pulled her tightly to his chest and laughed even harder when that movement made the last tower of sand collapse. He gave her a hungry kiss and looked at her confused face. "Don't worry; I'm just laughing at my own silliness, at our silliness. I love you too, Lindsay Monroe!"

The smile that appeared on her face was brighter than he had ever seen, and he continued "I love you, and I was so afraid that it wasn't mutual. I have never really experienced love before and I thought I was picking up the wrong signals, but my heart told me you were worth fighting for. You and your warm personality have changed me, and I like the person I've become. You made me realize that there is more to life than just playing around and at the same time I've never had more fun with any one else; you have such a great sense of humour. I love you, and I don't know where this is going, but I certainly want to find out because I really like where we are now."

She had never been happier and more relieved in her entire life and she grinned at his last line; she looked down on his pretty face and while seductively moving her hips, she said "well, I quite like where we are now too; I love you Danny Messer!"

He sniggered at her wicked behaviour and said "and I love you Lindsay Monroe!" right before he kissed her again – much softer this time, but with even more sincerity. The sea, the beach, the sand castle; it all disappeared as their kiss chased away the last sane thoughts they had, almost as quickly as the small pieces of fabric they had been wearing were suddenly vanished from their bodies. Words were no longer needed, and the urge to feel bare flesh against bare flesh without any barriers became too great, and made their limbs act as if they had a mind of their own.

They soon started to move more intimately, their bodies keeping pace with the current of the ocean. The water, still warm from the day's sunshine, slowly rippled over them, as if it was guiding their movements, controlling them, making them feel as if they were weightless.

When their waves of passion finally broke on the sand, their eyes met and they both realized that the confession of their love for each other had made them transcend the level of mere physical intimacy to one where their souls had actually touched; making a connection neither one of them ever wanted to break again.

-o-0-o-

_Whirling down a little again __the butterfly watched how the evening slowly took over the remains of a glorious afternoon. The tide came in with its silver waves, washing away the last details of what once was a majestic sandcastle from underneath the last two people left on the beach._

_Two people still breathless, unable and unwilling to move, and so caught up in each other that they didn't notice the magical creature now flying towards the horizon for one last time, fluttering its 'wings of love' and becoming part of the endless sky; leaving behind only the memories of what summer days are suppose to be like._

-o-0-o-

**THE END**

* * *

****

-o-0-o-

**AN 2: **Chapter title and sub title are from "Circle in the Sand" by "Belinda Carlisle"

**AN 3: **I found the names Eileen and Ronan when I was looking for names that fit the theme of this story (summer). Eileen means '(light of the) Sun' and Ronan means 'little seal' (ain't that cute?).

**AN 4:** Txs again to 'Angel' for inspiring me with her suggestion of Danny, Lindsay and a sand castle (I think I got a little carried away though)

**AN 5:** If you made it this far, I really appreciate a review. Txs!


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